Recording: DAS RAD

Artist: DAS RAD

Songs: Radar + In Situ^*

Recorded at Houndstooth, November 30, 2023.

DAS RAD - Radar

DAS RAD - In Situ

I was rather pleased when I spotted that DAS RAD (who'd played their final show back in 2016) were back in action earlier this year — in their time, they were a tremendously fun live act, accelerating their sludge-punk from the crypt to the stratosphere. This reformulation comes with some adjustments — Ian McPhedran has taken over on bass (and even sang a couple new songs), but I was heartened to see founding bassist Allyn Norris taking the stage to sing a couple songs (including the band's transcendant hit "Tooth Fairy") to close out the set. There was less climbing the furniture than you might have seen back in the day, but all that energy was still coiled up, spurred on by a crowd that felt like a reunion of the old Teen Tits scene.

[DAS RAD will be back in action on Saturday, January 20th at BSMT 254 alongside Crying High, Troglos, and 60 Bux]

^* Thanks to the peeps for passing along the titles to these!

Recording: Clamaglamza

Artist: Clamaglamza

Songs: Surf Titty + Tammy's Fanny

Recorded at Owl's Club (basement), November 10, 2016.

Clamaglamza - Surf Titty

Clamaglamza - Tammy's Fanny

This new-ish duo is a joint project between Allyn Norris (of the recently-defunct DAS RAD) and Gabi from Ah La Lettre!/Teen Tits Wild Wives. Both are fine singers, and they played huddled around a single mic, bluegrass-style. They projected folky vibes, projecting a certain kind of wholesomeness as they played to the a small crowd seated on the floor. That was quickly upended, though, by their salty lyrical content — though for all their lyrics about titties'n'tush there was still an innocence about it all. More like the stylized bawdiness of days gone by, this all came with a knowing wink and a laugh.

Recording: DAS RAD

Artist: DAS RAD

Songs: Hollow Pines + Heavy Flow

Recorded at The Baby G, October 15, 2016.

DAS RAD - Hollow Pines

DAS RAD - Heavy Flow

Things had been quiet from DAS RAD's direction for awhile now, so perhaps it wasn't too big a surprise to hear that the trio was packing it in. At the very least, though, they bequeathed a couple new songs and a proper farewell show. One comes to accept the great circle of life and all that, even if it was made harder by the fact that the band sounded as good as they ever have. There's a lot to appreciate in their trajectory, from their ever-inventive smashing-together of pop songs with noisy distortion to Allyn Norris's emergence as a strong co-frontperson for the band. Out of the grave and into the grave, RIP DAS RAD.

[That doesn't mean that other chapters aren't opening. Keep an eye out for things like this and this, for example.]

Recording: DAS RAD

Artist: DAS RAD

Song: Radiator

Recorded at Smiling Buddha, October 4, 2014.

DAS RAD - Radiator

Congratulations to DAS RAD for successfully distilling their live intensity into the ace new Radiation album. This set at its release show ended, as the album does, with this near-title track — one last chance to climb up on the amps and crank the effects knobs to the max.

Recording: DAS RAD

Artist: DAS RAD

Song: Vacuum

Recorded at The Imperial Pub, March 21, 2014.

DAS RAD - Vacuum

Full review to follow. After a bit of a layoff, it was nice to see this trio back in action — and rolling around on the floor like they'd never been away.

Recording: DAS RAD

Artist: DAS RAD

Song: Silver Latrine

Recorded at The White House (Wavelength 580), November 9, 2013.

DAS RAD - Silver Latrine

Full review to follow. Geez, DAS RAD keep getting better. This might've been the best set I've seen from the sludge-punk trio. Even with more face-melting feedback, the tunes still hold together regardless of how hard the band tries to rend them apart.

Recording: DAS RAD

Artist: DAS RAD

Song: Hunter

Recorded at The White House, March 1, 2013.

DAS RAD - Hunter

Full review to follow. Celebrating the release of a new cassette EP on Pleasence Records, DAS RAD's live show is, more than ever, like whistling past a cemetery while taking your bulldozer for a drive.

Recording: DAS RAD

Artist: DAS RAD

Song: The Seed^*

Recorded upstairs at The Monarch Tavern (Wavelength 547), July 27, 2012.

DAS RAD - The Seed

Full review to follow. This was my second time seeing DAS RAD, and I can confirm that they're on to something exciting — tuneful enough to nod your head to, but also like a bit of a cattle prod zapping at docility. Check 'em out and feel the jolt!

^* This is what I could figure from a look at the band's setlist, but I could stand to be corrected here.

Recording: DAS RAD

Artist: DAS RAD

Song: Tooth Fairy^*

Recorded at The Silver Dollar Room (Girls Rock Camp Fundraiser), May 29, 2012.

DAS RAD - Tooth Fairy

Full review to follow. Part of a night dedicated to raising some funds for Girls Rock Camp Toronto.

^* Thanks to Dean for passing the title to this one along.